A Favor Needed
by Kels1
Summary: Word of warning--I suck at summarizing, so you'll just have to start reading.
1. Default Chapter

RRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG  
  
Loralei Gilmore groaned as she was rudely awoken from her wonderful dream of flying coffee beans by the insistantly ringing phone somewhere in her room.  
  
"RORY!"  
  
"I'm asleep Mom, and you should be too--the perky piggies haven't begun squealing just yet."  
  
"Rooooory, where's the phone?"  
  
"I don't know, and I don't really care. They'll leave a message--just listen to it."  
  
"FINE."  
  
Loralei humphed as she rolled over and tried to remember just how fast the coffee beans could fly. The phone finally stopped ringing, and she waited for the impossibly rude caller to leave their message so that she could sleep in peace again.  
  
"Loralei, this is Mia. I know it's early, and I'm sure that whatever animal sound your alarm clock is making this week hasn't even begun to invade the silence, but this is an emergency. If you're there, and you can find the phone in the next few minutes, please pick up."  
  
Loralei frantically threw off her covers and leapt out of bed. Unfortunately, she hadn't managed to throw the covers off of her feet, where they remained twisted--probably as a result of her attempting to run after the flying coffee beans. She crashed to the floor, yelped, and then grinned--she was now eye level with the phone, which was hiding under her wardrobe.  
  
"Mia! What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, Loralei, it's awful, just awful. My daughter and her husband, they've been killed in a car accident."  
  
"Oh, Mia. I don't know what to say. What can I do? What do you need?"  
  
"I need to talk to you about a matter that they left behind. I'm flying into Hartford today. My plane lands at 3:17 your time--could you pick me up at the airport?"  
  
"Sure Mia. I'll be there. Talk to you soon."  
  
"Thank you so much Loralei. See you in a few hours."  
  
Loralei hung up the phone, but remained lying flat on the floor on her stomach. What could the matter Mia needed her help with be? Was she selling the inn? Was she moving back to Stars Hollow?  
  
At that moment, Rory stumbled through the doorway and flopped facefirst onto Lorelei's bed. Loralei immediately decided it was a good morning to be bratty, and proceeded to grab Rory's toes and pull her off of the bed so that she'd have some company down on the floor.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH! MOM! ARE YOU INSANE?!"  
  
Loralei grinned mischeviously in reply, and then bounced down the stairs to make a pot of coffee so they'd have the necessary energy to make it to Luke's for more coffee, and perhaps some danishes--they could have two Danish Days in one week, after all.  
  
  
  
Upstairs, Rory rubbed her shoulder where it had hit the floor, contemplated crawling back into her mother's bed, adn then decided against it--one dose of pain at the hands of her mother was enough for today--she wasn't a masochist. She sighed, and then thudded her way down the steps to her room, the perky piggies echoing their presence behind her.  
  
==an hour later, at Luke's==  
  
Luke glared at Taylor as he blubbered on about the importance of decorating the diner for Arbor Day.  
  
"Taylor, what the hell do you want me to do? Plant temporary foliage around the tables? Serve tree leafs instead of lettuce? This is ridiculous!"  
  
"Luke, this is for the importance of the town. Now, what sort of message does it send to the tourists if every shop and home is decorated except for yours?"  
  
"It shows them that there is still one sane establishment in this town, and that keeps them from running away from here as fast as they can. NOW OUT!"  
  
Taylor's face turned bright red as he humphed and stalked his way out of the diner, muttering something about cranky men and baseball caps being on too tight as he left.  
  
Rory and Loralei had entered the diner in the midst of this spectacle and quietly seated themselves at the counter. When Loralei realized that Luke was too distracted and angry to care what was going on in the diner, she used the moment to slide over the counter, grab two mugs, fill them with coffee, and slide back.  
  
Luke turned away from watching Taylor's retreating figure to find himself face to face with two grinning Gilmores, both with a steaming mug of coffee situated just below their mouths.  
  
"How did you get that? Was Jess down here? JESS!!!!"  
  
Loralei winked at Rory before she replied.  
  
"Lukeykins, you silly boy. The flying coffee beans gave this to us. They coasted right across the counter, and then suddenly here was the coffee. It's magic I tell you."  
  
Luke looked at Loralei, then at Rory, then back at Loralei.  
  
"Did she have those pop tarts with the mountains of extra icing on top again before she came here?"  
  
Rory assumed her most innocent look before responding.  
  
"Luke, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Can I have more coffee?"  
  
Luke grumbled as he refilled both outstretched mugs. As he wandered off, Rory remembered the mysterious early morning phone call.  
  
"Mom, who called this morning?"  
  
"Oh, sweetie--it was Mia. She had some bad news. Her daughter and son in law were killed in a car accident. Apparently they've left some unfinished business, and Mia is in charge of taking care of it. She's asked for my help, and she's flying into Hartford today so she can explain what it is exactly."  
  
"Wow, I wonder what it could be...."  
  
"Want to come with me to pick her up from the airport?"  
  
"Nope, but thanks. Paris is coming over this afternoon. I'm going to teach her to sing like an Oompa Loompa and how to yell rude things at the screen during bad made for TV movies."  
  
"Sounds like fun. We'll do dinner with Mia, and then I can fill you in on whatever it is she needs my help with."  
  
"Alright, sounds like a plan!"  
  
The two Gilmores sipped their coffee in silence, both absorbed in thoughts about their days and what Mia needed help with.  
  
  
  
====================  
  
OK guys. This is my first attempt at any sort of fan fic, so go easy on me. Hope you enjoy, and I'll add chapters as I have time. It's almost finals time (I'm a college student), so they may be rather sporadic for the next few weeks. Review if you'd like to! :) 


	2. Chapter 2

Paris and Rory sat on the Gilmore couch, staring at the television. Rory was content to sing along and occasionally toss a piece of popcorn into her mouth, but Paris was determind to find a logical explanation for everything.  
  
"I just don't understand. What makes their hair green? Is there a chemical reaction taking place in their bodies that causes it? Is this a discovery we could make? Because you know that it would look wonderful on my application to Harvard if I had discovered a chemical that causes an unnatural hair color in midget men. And the orange skin!"  
  
"Paris, shut up. They have green hair because they're wearing wigs. Their skin is orange because it was the early days of sunless tanner. Now be quiet and watch the movie. I've heard that Harvard rejects anyone who can't sing the Oompa Loompa song on command."  
  
Paris glared at Rory, who smiled innocently and gestured towards the TV.  
  
"Look, the blueberry song is the best song. You have to learn at least this version. Come on—the girl is a giant blueberry with absolutely no pronounced appendages. It doesn't get funnier than that."  
  
Paris sighed, and then forced herself to stop thinking about the hours all of the other Harvard applicants were logging for community service while she sat on a couch and watched 3 foot tall men dance and sing and stand on their hands.  
  
"Where's your mom? I thought she never misses a showing of Willy Wonka."  
  
"She's at work right now. Something about a crisis. Apparently Michel complained about Sookie's blueberry-to-batter ratio in the pancakes, and she blew up. Threw a mixing bowl at him. Now Michel's demanding that another suit be dry-cleaned, and my mom had to see how deep the cut on Sookie's forehead was."  
  
"How did Sookie cut her forehead?"  
  
"The mixing bowl was glass, and when her weapon of choice hit Michel, it then fell on the floor and broke. One of the pieces ricocheted up and hit Sookie in the forehead."  
  
"Wow. Remind me never to get involved in the hotel business."  
  
"Duly noted. Now hush, and watch the movie. You still have to learn the Golden Geeses song."  
  
====  
  
Loralei sighed. It had been a long day, and it was only 2:30. On the upside, the ER staff now knew Sookie by sight, so their wait had decreased significantly. On the downside, Michel wouldn't speak to Sookie until she had apologized. And Sookie wouldn't speak to Michel until he had apologized. Loralei put ten bucks into a pool that said Michel would crack first, due to his daily need for pancakes.  
  
She glanced out of the window as she drove towards the airport. Now that she had time to actually stop and think, she had begun to worry. What should she say to Mia when she picked her up? How do you comfort someone whose child has died, no matter how old that child was? Mia's daughter had already left the house and graduated college by the time Loralei turned up in Stars Hollow with Rory, and Loralei hadn't ever met her. She knew that Mia had been close to her daughter, visiting her quite frequently. She couldn't remember a time when Mia's daughter visited Stars Hollow though. What could be the reason for that?  
  
The exit for the airport appeared, and Loralei eased the Jeep onto the ramp. A few minutes later, she had parked the car and was walking into the terminal.  
  
"Gate A29, A29. Where are the damn baggage claims? I should fly more often.", she muttered to herself as she wandered down the walkway. "Ah-ha! There you are, baggage caroseul! I've found you."  
  
A few minutes later, Loralei spotted Mia walking through the doors that led to the terminals. Mia rushed over to Loralei and hugged her as hard as she possibly could. The two stood like that for several minutes before breaking apart to say their hellos.  
  
Loralei looked at Mia like a concerned mother hen. This woman had done so much for her and for Rory, and she couldn't stand to see her in pain.  
  
"Mia… I'm so sorry."  
  
"Thank you. It's been a difficult few days. The accident actually occurred four days ago. I flew here from the funeral—oh, that's my bag. The navy blue one."  
  
Loralei hefted the bag off of the belt, pulled out the handle, reached for Mia's hand, and began to lead the way out of the airport to the Jeep. They began the drive back to Stars Hollow, Mia explaining more details about the accident, Loralei occasionally lightening the atmosphere with a story about she and Rory's latest escapade.  
  
===  
  
An hour later, Loralei and Mia were seated at the kitchen table of the Gilmore house. Rory and Paris were easily persuaded to leave when Loralei handed them each ten dollars and gave them strict instructions to go to the bookstore and not to come back until they'd found two books neither of them had read before. She figured that would take them at least two hours.  
  
"Mia… you said you needed my help. What can I do? I'll do anything I can."  
  
"Well, Loralei—that means so much to me. But you may want to wait on the unlimited offers of help until you've heard what it is I need help with."  
  
Loralei looked concerned. What could possibly be so big that Mia thought she might actually not want to help? She would do anything for Mia—anything at all.  
  
"Well, try me. What's up?"  
  
Mia sighed, and looked down at her coffee mug, her hands clenched tightly around it.  
  
"My daughter and son-in-law lived in northern Virginia. He worked for the government, she was a high school math teacher. They had a child. Her name is Sara, and she's sixteen. A junior in high school. Excellent student. Atheltic, musically talented, completely unaware of how special and beautiful she is—she reminds me a lot of Rory, actually. I think that she'd rather stop breathing than stop reading."  
  
Loralei smiled. "She sounds like a wonderful kid."  
  
Mia shook her head. "Oh, she is. I don't think I could ask for a better granddaughter. That's not the problem. My son-in-law's parents are deceased, and he has no brothers or sisters. My daughter was my only child, so there are no aunts or uncles. I'm not as young as I once was, Loralei. It wouldn't be fair to a young girl if she was asked to spend her high school and college years residing with me."  
  
Loralei began to get an idea of what Mia's favor might be. She could feel the gears in her head turning as she tried to think.  
  
"Loralei. I know that you're so busy. And I know that Rory means the world to you, and that it's been just the two of you for so long that to add another person, especially another kid the same age as Rory is, into the mix would be so difficult. But I just hate for Sara to have to relocate across the country to live in a neighborhood where driving above 15 MPH is seen as speeding. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but I just want to try any other option first."  
  
Loralei made a decision in that split second. Sure, she was used to it being just she and Rory. But this kid deserved some resemblence of a normal high school life, even if Stars Hollow would be an odd place to try to find that.  
  
"Mia, don't even think for a second that I wouldn't want to do this. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea. And hopefully this will get you to visit here more often. The only thing is that I will have to talk to Rory. I can't decide until I've heard what her thoughts are."  
  
"Loralei, I completely understand. Talk to Rory when she gets back from the bookstore. We'll have dinner tonight at the Inn, and you can let me know what your decision is then. If it's yes, we can go over the specifics—where Sara will go to school, how much money you'll need each month for her food and clothing and things of that sort. I'm in need of a rest though, so I'm going to go check into a room. Why don't we meet for dinner at seven?"  
  
"That sounds great. We'll see you at seven."  
  
===  
  
Loralei heard the door slam, followed by Rory's shout of "Mom! I'm home! We got the books, and Paris's driver picked her up from the bookstore because her nanny wanted her to go home for dinner. Something about her never getting enough vitamins when she spends too much time in Stars Hollow. Rich people are crazy."  
  
Rory flopped onto the couch next to her mom as she finished up her rambling of information. She glanced over at Loralei, who was figeting with the corner of a throw pillow and staring absentmindedly at an infomercial for a weight machine.  
  
"Mom? Are you sick?"  
  
"Wha? No, no—why would you think I was sick?"  
  
"Well, you're watching an infomercial for a piece of workout equipment. According to you, the people in the second circle of hell have to spend every minute of eternity using said workout equipment. So, the fact that you're watching it with apparent disregard for the evil it represents leads me to believe that you are not quite all there."  
  
Loralei chuckled and reached for the remote, turning the television off. She shifted on the couch so that she was facing Rory.  
  
"Kiddo, we need to talk. A serious talk. Mia left a little while ago, and she told me what the favor she needs is."  
  
"Oh? Is she OK? I mean, obviously not, since her daughter died, but under the circumstances? Did she need help with the funeral? What is it?"  
  
"She's doing well, sweetie. And the funeral already happened this morning. No, that's not the problem. The thing she needs help with would really change our lives and the way we live them."  
  
Rory looked questioningly at her mother, wondering what this could possibly be about.  
  
"Mia has a granddaughter, honey. She's your age—sixteen. Anyway, it seems that Mia is her only living relative now that her parents are gone. And Mia just doesn't feel that she can give Sara—that's her name—the proper environment she needs while she's in high school and college. She just doesn't think it would be fair for Sara to have to move across the country to live in a retirement neighbornood with Mia while she fnished high school. And so she asked if there was any way Sara could come to live with you and I."  
  
Rory sat, slightly stunned, and tried to process the information her mother had just given her. Another girl? Living in the house? Where would she go to school? At Chilton, or at Stars Hollow High? What would it be like to have a sort of sister living with her? Rory tried to imagine how awful it would feel to be so alone in the world, and in that second, she made her decision.  
  
"Mom, we have to let her. If something ever happened to you, I'd hate to think that people would do whatever they could to make things easier for me."  
  
Loralei smiled at her daughter, and wondered millionth time how she'd ended up with such a great kid.  
  
"OK then. We're agreed. This will be Sara's new home. I thought we could fix the attic up. Clean it out. Make it into a bedroom. We could just buy basic furniture, and let Sara either bring her own things to fix it up with, or we can take her out to get new stuff."  
  
Rory grinned, and nodded her head in agreement. "Aren't we having dinner with Mia tonight?"  
  
"Yup. And seeing as it's already 6:45 and we're supposed to meet her at the Inn at seven, we'd better get going."  
  
The two Gilmores strolled out of the house, electing to walk to dinner since it was such a nice night. Both wondered what life would be like with a third resident in the house. What would Sara be like? What would she look like? How smart was she? 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Argh! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in… how long has it been? Forever, anyway. I've been busy with finals, and then finding a job, and then signing up for a summer session class, and then taking said class and working at the job I found… you get the picture. I actually had to reread the fic to remember what exactly I'd written. *sigh* Anyway, here goes….  
  
Disclaimer: Since I kept forgetting to put this in before, I'll do it now to save my sorry butt from any potential lawsuits—please don't sue me—I do have a decent amount of money now, but I also have a $500 tuition bill to pay out of pocket and a car insurance bill… so, I own nothing. Not the characters, not the names, nada, with the exception of the people I've created for my own amusement.  
  
And without further ado, here we go!  
  
  
  
Lorelei and Rory skipped down the road to the Inn, both excited at this prospect of a new person and what she'd be like. As they approached the building, they simultaneously slowed down and smoothed out their clothing. No matter how excited they were, they knew that Mia was still hurting over the loss of her daughter and son-in-law. The two Gilmores strode into the inn's dining room and located Mia in the far corner. Mia stood as they approached her, embracing Rory and then Lorelei.  
  
"Rory, you are more and more beautiful each time I see you."  
  
"Aw, Mia, thank you," Rory replied.  
  
The three women sat down at the table and placed their drink orders with the waiter who smiled at Lorelei and then bustled off. Mia clasped her hands together underneath her chin and looked at Rory and then at Lorelei.  
  
"Well girls, I hate to start the dinner conversation out so suddenly and with such a heavy subject, but I just need to know. Have you made a decision?"  
  
Lorelei glanced at her daughter before answering for both of them. "Yes, we'd love to have Sara live with us, as long as that's what she wants too. I think what we need to do now is iron out the necessary details—when she'll be here, where she'll go to school, all of that good stuff."  
  
Mia sighed with relief and broke into a wide smile—the first sign of happiness Lorelei had seen on her face since picking her up from the airport that afternoon.  
  
"Oh, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much it means to me for the two of you to be so generous. Now, to get down to business. Sara is incredibly intelligent. The public school system in her hometown has an excellent reputation, probably due to the fact that a lot of senators and congressmen's children attend schools in the city. However, I'm afraid that she may not be quite so challenged at Stars Hollow High—much like the situation you faced, Rory. I've got the funds for a private school, so I'd like to look into that avenue. The logical choice would be to seek admission at Chilton, since it's an excellent school, and because Rory is already there—knowing someone will make the transition easier, to say nothing of more convenient for everyone."  
  
Lorelei processed Mia's comments, and then replied "I think that sounds perfect. I can call El Duce tomorrow and set up a testing session for a day or two after Sara arrives here. I wish we could give her more time to get settled before threatening her with the prospect of hell, but I don't want her to lose any time, either. Which brings up the question of when she'll be arriving?"  
  
Mia sighed, and rubbed her forehead.  
  
"I'd like to get her here as soon as possible. We're letting her decide what should be done with her parents' things. I think she likes the idea of donating the furniture and clothing, save a few special items, to charity. She's not terribly partial to her bedroom furniture, so we won't have to worry about moving that. She drives a used Ford Explorer, so with any luck we can fit all of her clothing and other things into that, and ship whatever won't fit. With all of that to contend with, I'd say that she could leave Virginia in three or four days."  
  
Lorelei and Rory nodded, and then Rory asked "Mia, what kind of stuff does Sara like? I mean, books, movies, sports?"  
  
"Well sweetheart, she loves to read. She's a movie fanatic, and she drove her parents nuts from the age of three onwards with a slight obsession with Willy Wonka something or other."  
  
At the mention of their favorite movie, Lorelei and Rory turned to each other and grinned. If Sara liked that movie, they would be sure to get along fine.  
  
Mia continued, "She's a tennis nut. She started playing a few years ago, and she's fallen in love with the sport. She plays the violin, and she's always been active in student government. She had a part time job on the weekends back in Virginia, but I don't like the thought of her working, especially if she's going to be attending a school as rigorous as Chilton."  
  
Lorelei nodded again. "I really don't want Rory working while she's in school. If she has time in the summers, that's fine, but while school is in session, she has enough to worry about. I feel the same way about Sara."  
  
Mia smiled, knowing that sending Sara to live with Lorelei and Rory in Stars Hollow was the best thing that could come out of the situation. They were such wonderful girls, and Sara would be so happy living with them. And now Mia would have even more of an excuse to venture to the East Coast to visit her favorite three girls.  
  
"Alright, now that we've gotten the biggies out of the way, is there anything else you would like to know?"  
  
Rory grinned, and then said "Mia—what's her last name?"  
  
Mia groaned, and then replied "I can't believe I haven't told you yet. I suppose this would be a good time to fill you in on some of her family background. Sara is sixteen. Her birthday is on January 2, so she's a few months younger than you, Rory. Her last name is Thomas, and her middle name is Elizabeth. She's 5'2", and she's tiny and athletically built. She's almost as sarcastic and witty as the two of you."  
  
Mia paused to take a breath, and then began again.  
  
"Her mom and dad met in college. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but my daughter hated Stars Hollow. She was in love with the idea of living somewhere besides a small town in Connecticut. She loved big cities. When she graduated from high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She met Sara's father there. They married after they had both graduated, and they had an incredible marriage. Sara was their pride and joy, and the family was that family everyone wishes they had… much like the two of you," she said, beaming at the Gilmores.  
  
"Sara's dad worked for the government, and her mom was an elementary school teacher. They lived in the same Virginia town from the time that Sara was born. Four days ago, my daughter and her husband went to a dinner party to celebrate the completion of a project my son-in-law was working on. On the way home, they were hit by a drunk driver and killed. That's pretty much the basic facts, up until now."  
  
Mia glanced over at Lorelei and Rory, and saw that they had tears in their eyes.  
  
"Oh, girls, please don't cry. It's incredibly sad, but there's nothing anyone can do now except move on and try to help Sara do the same."  
  
Lorelei smiled at her friend. "So, the plan is that you'll go back to help Sara with the details of donating the clothes and other belongings, and then get her packed and moved up here… today is Saturday, so she'll be here on what, Wednesday?"  
  
Mia nodded. "Yes, Wednesday. Go ahead and reserve me a room at the Inn from Wednesday until Sunday. That should mean that I'll be here while she's settling in and unpacking and testing for Chilton. It sounds perfect."  
  
The three women smiled at each other. Rory thought of the excitement and uncertainty that another girl living in the house would bring. Lorelei thought of how painful it had to be for a young girl to be so alone in the world, remembering how she had felt so many years before. Mia thought of her granddaughter, still in Virginia with close family friends. Life was sometimes so unfair, but it would be interesting to see how this whole situation turned out. 


	4. Author's NoteUpdateRequest

I haven't updated this story in a REALLY long time-now that I've got some free time on my hands, I'm considering continuing with it. However, I want to know if there is any interest in updates before I put the time into it! Please let me know what you think! 


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